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>>6356433
Previous threads: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Solarpunk%20Cleanup%20Agent%20Quest
Google doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jhZljN9y7A8w6qFcD8wX_xYaKZP65ZH8EGrmgKQ-nIU/edit?usp=sharing

And I'm back! Sorry about the rather extended holiday. I wish it were shorter.
Fiona, weakened from her recent venture, has to prepare for conflict on the streets of Helsinki. Hellishly large birds are coming south from the Lapplands for the first time in decades! Between the arcane secrets the north holds and the surreptitious secrets held right behind her back, which will our heroine beware?
_____

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc46smttbH4

Nonoka Sumika is an unusually tall trollslayer from Nippon, where she fought gangs that suffused their ranks with their local aberrations, given a promotion and transferred "for her safety" after killing a yakuza boss' child. Her unique proportions made her an interesting choice for a suit of powered armor. Nobody else should be able to use it. But after it was stolen, it has been used. You've seen it with your own two eyes. The monster in it has a glare that fascinates and chills. It's hard to peel away from.

The yakuza have sent thugs after Sumika before, she says. It's been mostly humans. But this time, she says, they sent something else. To hunt Sumika, an an eight foot tall child-killing woman, they sent a "hasshaku," an eight foot tall child-killing oni woman. With an aberration from the east running around in armor made specifically for her, the yakuza thug doesn't even have to raise a finger.

After being confronted with the reality of an aberration in Sumika's suit, Stormwatch Manhunters who are doing digging into the case are beginning to question Sumika's humanity and loyalty. Sumika had wanted to catch the orphanage director herself, but complications in your plan have pruned her chance for now.

Now, this slender woman from the rural mountains of Nippon sits across the table from you in her lavish home paid for by the blood of underdwellers, sipping on sake and sighing with a worryingly familiar pop of her lips.

"Fiona, am I an aberration?"

You might not be any real standing authority on this, but you should still choose one.
>"I think you might be."
>"No, you're human."
>"There's a gradient to these things, and you might fall in the middle somewhere."
>"It's about perspective. You don't think you're an aberration, do you?"

>>6356437
Welcome back, QM

>>"There's a gradient to these things, and you might fall in the middle somewhere."
I think this one first the most, aberration seems to be thing that don't match the natural world, and more align with the world of myth
be it in appearance, abilities, or history

but, if you had, for example, an irish man with dwarfism, that doesn't make him a leprechaun by default, there has to be something more

to some degree, it can be argued that anyone exhibiting abilities that are more than human would count as an aberration, by physical or mental excellence, but pushing the human limit seems to be a constant thing in every era, classifying aberrations based on that is shaky, at least, if it's not at a clearly impossible point, such as natural flight (if there even is such a point as "impossible" in this world, that is another matter)

you also have the history, human history is full of stories and myths, if someone exemplifies them, well, that doesn't mean that they're not human, for example, you could make parallels of Odysseus and our mom, but that alone doesn't mean much


basically, my point is, that for the "low end" (in the obviousness), aberrations seem to be a grey area,
in terms of Sumika, I don't remember the hasshaku myth being a swordmaster in any retelling, or getting drunk, or hunting criminals, and her child killing wasn't because it was a child, but because of the yakuza connection
Sumika does fit parts of the myth though, she is 8 feet tall, she is weirdly quiet (which is skill, but still), she did kill at least one kid over her career (not abducting the kid, and not doing so via mimicry, nor wearing the stereotypical clothes), her skin is while as a sheet, her eyes seem to be quite dark and deep, and, most specifically, she does have "Po" as a verbal tick

so yeah, it seems to be somewhere in the middle, but nowhere near a clear match

I do have to wonder if the "universe" has some sort of autocorrection, or magnetism applied, if a person fits certain criteria, the are passively drawn to fit others, becoming more and more like the myth, but that's just a theory, a gay theory

>>6356437
I'l reiterate from last thread:
>"I think you might be."
Well she isn't a water-sprite, but... Yeah, since "aberration" appears to mean "mutant that reminds people of mythology"... Yes. She's probably not a true human.

But also:
>So what?

>>6356437
>>"It's about perspective. You don't think you're an aberration, do you?"

>>6356561
+1 but I wonder if it'd be nice to take from this too >>6356451
I'll say it again: there's bound to be people out there so sick of other humans that humanoid aberrations like Sumika are more human and real than other people. I guarantee there's guys out there who would be into her irregardless of inhumanity perceived or otherwise

>>6356617
I'm not sure she's as worried about perceived as hot as being perceived as fundamentally monstrous.

Tallied, and writing.

>>6356451
Oh, and I appreciate the depth of this response. I'll try to do it justice.

>>6356451
This quest and this post in particular are how I red the original short horror story.

>>6356437
>"Mam, I think you're a bit strange, but I just spent the last mission talking to my mother's sword. I'm hardly in a position to judge."
>"I suppose the worst case scenario is that this Hasshaku is your mother or something, but the only one who can define who you are is you."

>>6356893
This is also a good one

>>6356561
>>6356569
>>6356893
This is a complicated subject. It really swings on where you draw the border between human and aberration, and how close to that line she cleaves. From the first sight you've pegged Sumika as abnormal. Asian people are short, right? You know, usually? She stood head and shoulders over a couple massive viking looking men. So compared to what you think is normal for her people, she is certainly different.

But is this monstrous? Or is the status of an aberration black and white?

After contemplating it for a bit, you give a reply. "I think you might be. But... You're not a Hiisi. You're not like Lorppo. You're not anything that complicates people around you. You might be a little strange, but I spent the last mission seeing luonto and hearing my mom's sword talk to me, so being tall isn't bad. Whatever aberrant traits you have aren't a problem. People only shun these aberrations because they're hostile monsters or wild animals."

Sumika has been giving you a scrunched brow look of confusion when you brought up the talking sword bit.

"I was high on Pervitin. I was hearing things."

Her perplexed look goes away, and back to the look of dejection she had before as she turns away.

You scoot closer to her, around the table and into her vision. "I don't get what the deal is. So what if you're, what, an eighth aberrant? It's not like we fight aberrations because they're evil. Just that these ones are threats that steal from the city and its people."

"Perception is more important than you realize, Fiona," she replies. "If it looks like a duck, talks like a duck, it does not matter what the duck thinks of itself. We call it a duck."

Seeing her train of logic, you turn it around. "You've been a human to me the whole time."

The tension building underneath crumbles with a bashful laugh from the tall lady. "Thank you. I needed to hear that."

>>6357511
All of this is clearly bothering her, so it's only good to not dwell on this and move along. "Did I miss anything while I was recovering? We're preparing for the swans, right?"

Sumika was fine with changing topics. "Yes, actually. The director is holding a banquet tomorrow. A very generous one. Even the Level 1 Agents will be dining on steak and lobster. Miss Jousten has some announcement she will be making there. A program to use new Undercroft technology, I imagine. I have not heard much about it, only that it is going to be limited. Maybe you would be eligible, given your connections."

A feast? With good food offered to all?! They have been subsisting off liquid food and a shared kitchen for months. A good solid meal will do a lot to raise their spirits. You're relieved you recovered in time to join them. As for the announcement, you have some ideas. You and Fahy have been the guinea pigs for some wild inventions. Perhaps Katriina has given the clear for Undercroft suits to be added to the standard Stormwatch armory. Hopefully there have been modifications that make it less straining on the average agent. Or maybe it's something else entirely; Miss Jousten has been having her scientists work hard for as long as you've known her.

Sumika continues, explaining that operations to assist the military set up defensive positions around the city will commence the day after the feast. There is currently an order to stand down on operations in the Stormdrain for the time being. You ask if the Red Dogs will be helping with their giant robot, but she makes note that the Americans are not to deploy their Big Red Dog unless crucially necessary. Most of the weapons aren't designed for such soft targets and would shred through the jotunn and strike occupied buildings behind them. Damn.

>>6357513
After some casual conversation afterward, you were reminded the sake she shared with you today was not the last. Sumika is too drunk to spar or anything practical today. You bid her well and leave, walking out into the cold Finnish air. Lost in thought, you go to grab someone's small hand and it's not there. You don't know why you're surprised.

Previously you were considering meeting with some of the L1 agents today, namely Alowa- Alic- Alowiy- Tex. Having nabbed a gun from that traitor Red Dog Durant while in the undercity, you'll have something to talk about. But now that you're aware of the banquet coming up, you think you'll save it for then.

There's other things you could do with today.
Select up to two.
>Give Leshy a visit. You haven't spoken to him in person since the Zephyr incident. You might be able to actually see him this time. And, if there's anybody who would be willing and able to share details of your mom's voyage, it would be Leshy.
>Visit the Undercroft. Someone, Fahy or maybe Katriina, might be willing to share the details on this announcement. If you find Katriina, you do have a few things to ask her besides that...
>Swing by Blythe at the Arcane studies office. Maybe he's had some new thoughts about the girl you keep being haunted by. Maybe the talking sword, too. He has a similar weapon, a pistol with the same gold dust.
>Go talk to the Red Dogs. Apologize for killing the Judge's slave but it was self defense and for the good of Helsinki. Give them a personal account of the gun manufacturing there.
>Your office peers deserve an apology. Kiikoinen especially. Maybe you should take him somewhere. You know, as an apology.

You don't need to try and seek out your mom. You're certain she will find a way to catch you at some point. She has you drinking herbal drinks that the doctors (and you) don't think are really necessary.

>>6357520
>Give Leshy a visit. You haven't spoken to him in person since the Zephyr incident. You might be able to actually see him this time. And, if there's anybody who would be willing and able to share details of your mom's voyage, it would be Leshy.
>Swing by Blythe at the Arcane studies office. Maybe he's had some new thoughts about the girl you keep being haunted by. Maybe the talking sword, too. He has a similar weapon, a pistol with the same gold dust.

Kiikoinen can stew on his emotions a bit longer. Maybe when we talk, he'll be ready to open up.

>>6357513
lmao she's going to make some WILD announcements, and the only concern is whether green knight guy is transferred to the nanites before everything goes to hell.

>>6357520
>Go talk to the Red Dogs. Apologize for killing the Judge's slave but it was self defense and for the good of Helsinki. Give them a personal account of the gun manufacturing there.
>Visit the Undercroft. Someone, Fahy or maybe Katriina, might be willing to share the details on this announcement. If you find Katriina, you do have a few things to ask her besides that...
the sword might be handy for stabilizing the knight

>>6357520
>Go talk to the Red Dogs. Apologize for killing the Judge's slave but it was self defense and for the good of Helsinki. Give them a personal account of the gun manufacturing there.
Red Dogs deserve to know
>Swing by Blythe at the Arcane studies office. Maybe he's had some new thoughts about the girl you keep being haunted by. Maybe the talking sword, too. He has a similar weapon, a pistol with the same gold dust.
ADDRESS THIS PHANTOM GIRL ALREADY COME ON

>>6357520
>>Give Leshy a visit. You haven't spoken to him in person since the Zephyr incident. You might be able to actually see him this time. And, if there's anybody who would be willing and able to share details of your mom's voyage, it would be Leshy.
>Your office peers deserve an apology. Kiikoinen especially. Maybe you should take him somewhere. You know, as an apology.

>>6357523
>>6357549
>>6357612
>>6357691
Two for Leshy, two for Red Dogs, two for Blythe. A pretty annoying tie. I almost wanted to use the same tiebreaker rule I use for equipment but everyone went down the list in order for their selections.
If the next vote manages to unbrick it I will go ahead, if not I'll do what I can.

>>6357520
>>Go talk to the Red Dogs. Apologize for killing the Judge's slave but it was self defense and for the good of Helsinki. Give them a personal account of the gun manufacturing there.
>Swing by Blythe at the Arcane studies office. Maybe he's had some new thoughts about the girl you keep being haunted by. Maybe the talking sword, too. He has a similar weapon, a pistol with the same gold dust.

>>6358123
Thanks! Writing now.

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You're rather underdressed to go out and talk to the Red Dogs. Germany got chilly on occasion, an occasional cold snap turning humid dew into a thorough frost which might kill an animal or two, but this is Helsinki. Germany is warmer now than it was in the olden days and so is Helsinki, so the crunch of frozen grass and bite of frigid air surprises you. You had not even considered that it would get cold enough to warrant having a heavy coat. But thankfully, you picked a nice thick charcoal black coat a week ago that came with a free pistol. The pistol might have to be handed over; that jacket is yours.

Walking back inside the HQ to dress a little better and gather some things, you find Mama in your apartment cleaning everything. She asks where you're going, and you slowly explain that you're going to talk to your boss about something, and then return some stuff that you, uh, "borrowed." Erika warns you to be back home soon or she will have the security camera jockeys track you down and drag you home herself. Completely certain she has every authority to back that threat up, you tell her yes you will. No, no of course, no fooling around. No you're not going through a phase, you are a responsible adult. After three reassurances, a hug and a kiss on the cheek send you off.

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>>6358697
The Arcane office was never a bustling office. It was nearly empty on most days; the roots of superstition and if it affects the world or if the world affects superstition is a scientific field that can't be studied any good while bound to a desk. That said, it is unusual to see this place actually dead quiet. The only sounds you hear are the receptionist blowing cigarette smoke, the fizz of low wattage lights, and the creaking floorboards of a distant office giving way as someone marches back and forth restlessly.

Through the oblique frosted glass you could see the noita pacing about his room. You knock on the door, and you can see his shape jolt from his deep thought to get the door.

"Fiona," Percival greets, as exhausted looking as ever. "You are well?"

"I'm fine. I came by with a couple questions. About the girl."

He seems to snap out of a daze at the words. He leaves the door open for you to enter. On the noita's desk is a taxidermied swan, and an overflowing folder of sketches and photographs. Despite being deep in his work, Percival seems glad to take a step away from it for the time being.

>>6358699
"So I have done some digging, across German myth and many others," Blythe begins, tossing the papers aside and pulling up a new file. "I even pulled some strings and got your ancestry, to see if anything else had wormed its way into your blood, but no; for the past four hundred years, your bloodline has been pure German."

"... And?"

The noita throws his arms wide. "Nothing. I found nothing that resembles your case as you describe. The closest I could find is the Etiainen, a Finnish spirit that goes ahead of another, doing things that they would end up doing, but I believe we discussed this before. You said this happened even in Germany, so it can't be that. Further, you wouldn't be seeing an etiainen of your own child, that would be hers to see."

This is nothing new. "Is that it?"

"I said nothing that resembles the case of a spirit child. There are other things that have been recorded, cases far more extreme than just a vision that, in the right circumstances, others can see." He pulls out a document, that from your position opposite him on his desk, looks like a report on a person. "It's a phenomenon that's both incredibly ancient, and making a resurgence."

The file is extended to you, and you're about to grab it, but he pulls it away just before you do, bringing your eyes to his face. A serious expression is on it.

"This is a rather confidential case. You aren't planning on traveling north, are you?"

"No?"

"If you do, do not enter the town of Akujärvi."

A strange warning. Finally handed the document, you take a look at it.

NAME: Tammi Hololla
>DOB: Apr 12, 3191
>PLACE OF BIRTH - CITY OR TOWN: Akujärvi
>FATHER: Ristomati Hololla - 99.21875% FINN
>Mother: Janne Juhantalo - 98.4375% FINN
>EYES: Blue

It's a birth certificate, with a sketch of the child as a baby and a photo of him as a young boy. After examining it a bit, you look up. "What is this about?"

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>>6358702
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y4yP-4stkE
Percival has a couple more papers in his hand, and offers one to you. "Here he is as of February 11th of this year." It's a photo of the boy at a village festival. There's not many children there, and it's a bleak and dreary place, but he's smiling and enjoying himself with his family. You're not quite fond of where this is going.

With a breath to prepare himself, he hands over another photo.

"And this is a photo of a mauled child found in the forests nearby. Estimated date of death February 11th, 3199."

You don't need to describe the photo very much. An old decayed corpse of a child lays half buried in snow, nearly bisected from whatever foul beast was eating him. The idea someone would find it necessary to take this picture is awful enough, but...

The head is the same.

You look between the two photos and the jaws and the eyes are the same. The hair is the same.

"DNA tests are identical," he confirms. "Both the body and the still-living boy."

"He came back from the dead?"

Percival begins pacing around. "His body was recovered, and yet he is also with his parents. We observed through tests including him and many others that he is not an aberration. Our study around him was held with discretion to avoid panic in the small town, never more than six of us, and went on for some time. At some point, the matter was raised to Leshy."

"Leshy had something to say?"

"He said it was a known phenomenon, and closed the case. He didn't describe what the phenomenon was exactly, but he commented that faith is a powerful thing. If the town had believed that Tammi would arrive at school on time on the day of February 12th, that nothing had gone wrong, that their lives would be as at ease as they would have imagined, then the Gods would make it so."

What the fuck?

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>>6358703
Percival offered you a seat, and sat down himself. "He barred further research into the matter, and ordered that anybody that knows this is not to enter that town. And we dropped the matter. The recent photo was pulled from a local event with no intention to examine Tammi. The matter is closed in every regard. But when I was out of leads on your case, the case of that boy came to mind."

Okay, but... "How?"

The researcher, having seen and experienced many wild things this world has to offer, winces and rolls his head as he struggles to piece together the picture himself. "It's... hard to explain. What I'm thinking is that, the root is belief. You don't believe you have a child, you merely want one. But that time we exchanged glances in an elevator for the first time, you had a beaming energy like you were a young mother. And indeed I might have been fooled. I looked down and saw her." He throws his hands up in defeat. "I'm not saying if we were to lock you in a lead safe long enough you would walk out having conjured up a child like the Virgin Mary but-"

"Locking me in a safe!?"

"It's at the periphery of our understanding of the world! I know of that expedition to the north that has returned and what it sought to understand, but I am not privy to its findings. I think it would have a clue. There's none to find here. So I am forced to grasp at straw! And this is impossible to research as a focus, given mutual understanding that you don't have a child being the very ward keeping her from appearing." He clicks his tongue and leans back, baggy eyes staring at the ceiling. "I apologize, I'm reaching."

>Politely inform Percival his theory is stupid and he should lay off the mushrooms
>Accept the crackpot theory as a theory and move on

Select as many as you like.
>Show him Auringonvalo and discuss your experience with it, and Blythe's with his pistol
>Ask about the Luonto you saw down in the stormdrain, if he has any theories about them
>Pry what he knows about the expedition
>Address the big dead bird in the room and inquire what about the imminent swans he was mulling over
>Write ins (encouraged!)

>>6358704
>Accept the crackpot theory as a theory and move on
I think she should take it as an important lesson that as much as she wants a child and dreams of it, she should pay attention to what kind of person her child actually will be.

>>Ask about the Luonto you saw down in the stormdrain, if he has any theories about them
I don't entirely trust him with Auringonvalo

>>6358760
+1

>>6358704
>Accept the crackpot theory as a theory and move on
We talked to out sword and fought spirit animals. Leshy is an ent. We're about to fight talking, man-eating giant swans who are maybe psychopomps. We have a robot possessed by an immortal Rothschild the basement, as the ancients said.

>Show him Auringonvalo and discuss your experience with it, and Blythe's with his pistol

sorry for the long delay, back now
>>6358760
>>6358812
>>6358973
While it's weird and hard to prove, it wouldn't be the stupidest thing you've known to be true. You chopped the head off a living tree that shot you with a shotgun.

And knowing what her deal is isn't why you even asked, after all. "So, what now? Will she be with me later on, if I were to... y'know, uh, have my own?"

Batting his thumbs together, Percival stares off. It's clear he has done a lot of thinking into the what it is part and not much into what it means part. "I am not of that belief, no. Having what you see in her in reality, I think, or I would hope, that you would lose that delusion. Unless you have a change of heart."

That would make sense, but honestly you never thought about it yourself. You have this idea of a child in your head, one that looks like you or your mother. You hadn't considered what it would be like if they would look closer to your father. If you have one and it doesn't look like her, would she go away, or- This is pointless to think about now. You might have eyes, but you aren't even seeing anyone, so it's just pointless meandering.

There is something else you want to bring up, something relevant. "I saw a lot of Luonto that day, the day I went underground. Mainly, I saw a pack of them at the beck and call of a child. Not two or three. Ten, or even more. Is that something that happens normally, in this line of work?"

"A child with many luonto?" The noita rolls his head around with a nod. He answered quickly. "Ah, yes. Things like this are honestly quite common. At least one that shows up every time we drive out squatters from an undercity. Body cameras cannot tell the whole story. Footage of the incidents where one is protected by luonto seem to be filled with mistakes and fumbles, flubs and misses on our part. They're rather frustrating as opponents, to Finns and Noita such as myself. On the other hand, skeptics and nonbelievers seem to be able to walk through the assaults of moose spirits like a gusty headwind... a suspicious trait that added fuel to my earlier theory." He chuckles. "I apologize, but I don't believe you will have an easy time ignoring them. Your friend Kiikoinen, however..."

You lean in. "What about Kiikoinen?"

>>6360690
Percival's tone lightens up, having fond words to speak on the subject. "About six years ago now, Kiikoinen fought one as an L2 agent. His own superior had gotten ambushed and had his weapons stolen by a teenager in a wolf pelt. The L3 could not provide an accurate description of the battle from his own eyes; he was wounded and being dragged by the ankles by beings his junior did not have the insight to see. All he could confirm was that wolven luonto had beset them both at the time of the ambush. From Kiikoinen's perspective, there was only their human ambusher and, I quote, an onset of dread so thick that that stepping close like wading through water. The stolen volt machete in their hands was the only threat he saw. He made short work of their leashmaster."

Painting a vivid image of the scene, Blythe leans back with a chuckle. "It's strange, isn't it? For raising our heads up to see what many remain unaware of, we but expose ourselves to more threats. But who knows? Perhaps this wisdom will help the Finns in our group. Time will tell."

The idea of Lalli ever being a rookie is weird to you. At the same time, having seen how he "interacts" with luonto first-hand, you can see that encounter happening exactly as it did. You would be surprised that this encounter was documented, but given Percival has brought up Lalli's luonto as special before, it makes sense that they would be keeping eyes and ears on his exploits.

The topic of the sword might be something you should not bring up at all. He's already said he was not told much about the findings of the expedition to the north, so you shouldn't leak anything. Besides that, much of what you experienced comes from a state of drug-fueled delirium, but moreover, if anything you heard was at all accurate, it's definitely something he's not allowed to hear.

Where did the spirit in the sword say he was from? A city called Lilac Neen? No, no.
That wasn't quite it, but it sounded something gaelic.
Your memory is too foggy for a clear recollection.

This isn't your sword to disclose the details from, and you aren't interested in finding out which ancient mogul or politician is imprisoned in Blythe's gun enough to trade sensitive information, so you have to call it.

"I don't think we can just imagine the answers for everything. I'll take my leave."

"Be careful," he bids as you step out of his office, returning his undivided attention to the taxidermied bird. The dead swan has no words.

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>>6360692
The trip to the penthouse where the Chicago Red Dogs' have been staying was quick and easy. The worker at the front desk was made to expect you from the sound of it, and the air was thick with cigar smoke even from the far side of the door. Not long after a humble knocking from shivering hands did the girl of the Red Dogs open the door and let you in. The greeting wanted to be warm, but there was an awkward stink in the air.

Judge Damian was at the dinner table smoking a cigar. He was very visibly not pleased, but you can't imagine he's mad at you. The drone is walking around the apartment as the engineer remotely pilots it and trains its actions with his own. Captain Mikey Riley is lounging on the couch, eyeing you up as you came in.

"Hey," the American man says in a loud but concerned tone. "You doin' alright?"

"I am good enough to walk. Thanks for asking, sir," You weakly respond. "Did you all get the report?"

"Yes," Beth says, about to take your coat but your shuddering shoulders persuade her to let you keep it. She does a double take as she realizes whose coat that is. "We're, uh, sorry that happened."

You have some words they oughta hear.
>Ask them how the hell they let Durant slip his leash long enough to run a gunsmithing enterprise in the undercity. You thought that was what he was made a slave to avoid.
>Goad them into joining the swan hunt, even without the big red dog.
>Tell them about the banquet and learn if they were invited; there's good food and all.
>Politely prod about the announcement Katriina will be making. They've been in cahoots with her for a bit, and you are involved in Undercroft projects...
>Return the gun. You have no use for it.
>Ask how you could get permissions to legally own and shoot the gun.

>>6360703
>Politely prod about the announcement Katriina will be making. They've been in cahoots with her for a bit, and you are involved in Undercroft projects...
>>Return the gun. You have no use for it.
Keeping the jacket though

>>6360703
>Ask them how the hell they let Durant slip his leash long enough to run a gunsmithing enterprise in the undercity. You thought that was what he was made a slave to avoid.
I want this option BADLY
>Return the gun. You have no use for it.
But as >>6360745 said, we keep the jacket. It's Fiona's spoils by blood and she keeps it

>>6360703
>Tell them about the banquet and learn if they were invited; there's good food and all.
>Politely prod about the announcement Katriina will be making. They've been in cahoots with her for a bit, and you are involved in Undercroft projects...

I also agree with >>6360759 inntemrs of:
>Return the gun, keep the jacket

>>6360703

>Politely prod about the announcement Katriina will be making. They've been in cahoots with her for a bit, and you are involved in Undercroft projects...
>Return the gun. You have no use for it.

>>6360776
*in terms of

>>6360745
>>6360759
>>6360776
>>6361138
"I only hope you are all taking it better," you reply to Beth. "I had assumed that he had become like a friend to you all...?"

Tension in the air broke with awkward chuckles, and Beth tries to explain. "Fi, you ever raised a pig?"

Fi? That's a new one. "Yes! Well, I was neighbors with someone who did."

"Did the pig have a name?" She asks.

"My papa always said you are not supposed to give names to animals you are going to eat."

Beth detaches the chainbelt from the pistol and whips the empty revolver around. "My family kept a pig named Bacon. Cute little guy, he cuddled really well. But we knew he wasn't gonna be anything other than Bacon. You catch the drift?"

You think you get the idea.

Change of subject!

"Did you all hear about the banquet at the Stormwatch tomorrow? You are Katriina's guests, so I am wondering if you all were invited-"

"Sorry girl, we gotta keep an eye on Clifford," Mikey cuts you off. "Everyone else's focus is gonna shift away from the garage where we keep it once the locals get their deployment meals in, so we're gonna be holding it down. Take the time to do some training runs."

Looking at the robot they brought and modified specifically to test out the efficiency of the Undercroft's biofuel engine, you find that hard to believe. "Really? I heard she was announcing something there. I thought you guys had something to do with it, or a clue at least."

"The Black Swan has pivoted her stance as of late," Damian answered.

>>6361493
The engineer in the headset directed the robot to rest on the arm chair. "Yes. About a month ago, she was quickly losing her interest in autonomous machines. Her contributions have become more focused on prosthesis and human remote piloting. Given the bioengine's rather hungry fuel situation, incentivizing its own replenishment unchecked is... problematic, as you're well aware. So while she will not be needing the programming of our drones, the construction is all still relevant."

The High Judge casts a fierce gaze at you. "I heard that certain complications with a Finnish military officer's prosthetics stirred a change of heart," he claims.

You pick up what he's putting down. "Ah, I heard that too! He's been agreeing to help Katriina for a long time. He was fine with having a stub himself and retiring, but he wanted others to have something good. And it breaking like it did..."

As none of the other members of the Red Dogs are looking at Damian, he flashes you a smile and adds on details. "From what was described to me, a part of its grip failed and the whole prosthesis swung free of the stub and smashed into him." The judge leans back, having finished spinning a web, and more interested in. "So, his new prosthesis will implement more of the design philosophies of the ACD, as well as the biofuel consumption capabilities."

"You think she's going to announce prosthetics at the banquet?" You ask.

Damian shakes his head. "There's not enough maimed Stormwatch members to justify that as an announcement at an exclusive event. I believe it will be some significant advancement of remote combat drones."

The engineer (what was his name, Jerry? Terry?) chimed in, raising the goggles he was wearing. "Which is wild. I've made progress over the past few months in abstracting complicated movement algorithms to a limited human interface, but to roll it out for combat would be insane. There's only so much control humans can have over machines without wild innovations, like brainwave reading or something. She must have hundreds of people on her team if she has made any significant improvement over Chicago R&D in the timeframe she had to work with our schematics..."

Well, you did help install a bunch of that wi-fi stuff across the storm drains earlier. It primarily served to spy on them using their signals, but they were developed as a form of high-speed communication...

"This is all assuming it's a tech announcement. It could be a change in policy or structure. For all I know, she could be stepping down as director."

You... don't think she would do that.
cont

>>6361495
Oh god, he's going to be a hungry, hungry knight.

>>6361498
After that "surprising reveal" we had from the last Limbus Company story update? Oh yeah you bet

>>6361495
> There's only so much control humans can have over machines without wild innovations, like brainwave reading or something.
Is she going to turns Rothschild or her BF? into some kind of blood-fueled cyber-knight? Rothschild in particular seems like an awful candidate, being a thousand year old dilettante with no particular skills... But he also would have no loyalty or lost love for the current regime out of Rome, and would be more emotionally expendable as some guy we all barely know.

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I wanted to get more done this week but I've been distracted and now I have actual obligations for the next few days
I'll be able to freely post monday

>>6361862
Thanks for looping us in, QM. See you Monday!

Author note: the name of the Chicago Red Dogs' High Judge's in the last update was supposed to be Gabriel, not Damian. Damian was mentioned in passing as having invented the volt machete martial art back in thread 1. They're different people.

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>>6361495
The High Judge recalled something, and spoke up. "Besides all this, I heard there was going to be incoming air traffic in a few days. Someone is being flown in by VTOL. From Chicago."

Being raised in cabin in a town with a closed electric grid flanked under fifty foot tall trees is getting in your way again. "Vee-Tohl?"

It is suddenly made clear to Judge Gabriel that he is talking to a German peasant that is speaking with less than a year's worth of English practice as a second or third language. "Imagine a helicopter, but the rotors are on plane wings, and it tilts the rotors forward to reach four hundred miles an hour."

The noisy metal things soaring around the sky every so often might be what is called the helly copter. Getting the gist, you nod to let him continue.

"R&D is very busy. It doesn't take up requests from other nations unless they're interesting - and yes, this bioengine is very novel; homogenizing necessary resources makes logistics simple... But of course, it should have occurred to me that Miss Jousten had a contact within the R&D to get their attention in the first place. Regardless, the air space notice is several days after to your banquet."

Not the best time to arrive in this town. Hopefully they can land safely and be brought inside well before the white death hits.

That's everything you had wanted to talk about. Unluckily, you have something you are obligated to talk about. "So, Durant. How did he get away from you-"

"We knew he was a traitor," the High Judge spoke. "If there's anything that black-matted hound was good for was sniffing out his fellow ilk. Load him up with enough juicy info, undo the leash, and he ran right for him. I expected to find footage of him entering the undercity ourselves so we could send ACDD right into the center of it, only..."

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>>6363472
The man casts a cold look.

"You wouldn't happen to be involved in any information suppressive measures?"

That's a weird inquiry. "No, I've been involved in Trollhunting."

With an indifferent shrug, Gabriel gets back to his papers. "Then the case of who ordered the security team to stop reporting that point of entry continues, long after I have lost all interest in it."

"W-wait, what?"

Mikey Riley hollers from the couch. "You know how you got rooms full of camera jockies to keep an eye on all the security feeds, weight scale logs, and stuff? Well sometimes, instead of just shutting down security footage, crooks try and be smart by just bribing someone to give them a real-time scoop on activity in an area or just not reporting themselves move around. So when Your Esteemed Honor Gabriel, or some other judge, has got a suspicion of something like that happening, they order the previous shift to loop the security cams, wait til the mole's shift starts, and then make their move. One of your L4s or some L3s did that on some route down that Durant was using. He was pissed, but it's been a few days and nothing can change what already happened to poor ol' Durant. Water under the bridge at this point, right Your Honor?"

Your Honor groaned in annoyance, but not in disagreement.

The coming few days sound tough already, and this is not your realm of expertise. Having enough on your mind for now, you thanked them and went to leave, but by order of the High Judge you were to return to your apartment with a bottle of a American whiskey. Your protests that your health is too poor and your body busy recovering does not persuade him from giving you this gift. He says it's for putting down the rabid dog Durant, but a slight nod tells you it's for your stellar felling arm a couple weeks ago.

You say your farewells, take the bottle, and become amazed that this jacket is so big you can stuff an entire 1.75 liter bottle on the inside pocket.

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>>6363473
Mama is still in your apartment, cooking food for you. How easily she moves around your kitchen is more than a little concerning if she was only around for today and yesterday. Surely there's some security measure being breached by her staying here as long as she has, but you're all but certain she is in fact the authority on whether or not those security measures may be breached.

"Darling!" Erika meets your eyes with a beaming face and familiar German. "I've made soup and pretzels! Ah, the pretzels are made to be nutritionally complete, so the taste might not be great- but I will not have you wasting away on my watch~!"

With light steps you can barely keep track of, she rushes at you, grabs your hands, and does a playful jig in the shape of a clumsy waltz while dragging you to the tiny thing the Stormwatch seems to describe as a dinner table fit for three. In but a few moments she has the soup and big bavarian pretzels setting the table, straddling the seat across with a big dumb grin.

You have a funny feeling. "Is something the matter?"

Erika begins tearing the pretzels and dipping into the soup as she begins to talk with an engaged, casual tone you rarely hear. "Ah, I had heard through the grape vine there will be a nice gala for the Stormwatch. And I had thought, at first, oh, how nice, you get to have that. But then I thought about why you joined, aaand-"

Laughter breaks through your lips. "Mama!"

"What?" She pinches her lips in a cheeky grin, leaning in to whisper. "Storks don't deliver those, you know!"

Freyja's tits she is embarrassing. You have buried your face in your hands, but to try and bury this moment in time you slip your mouth out to say "So what were you saying?"

"Have you found anybody you fancied yet?"

You stare into the thick soup in your bowl for answers.

Do you actually take Mama's help?
>You think she might scare the men around you away, so don't take her help
>Do not admit it's Kiikoinen you like
>Erika is the only person out of the three of you to know how to have a proper relationship, so yes

>>6363475
>Erika is the only person out of the three of you to know how to have a proper relationship, so yes
Gonna be real, I trust Fiona even less than I trust myself for this. And I've never been in a relationship.

>>6363490
+1

>>6363490
you know what? that's a good point

>>6363475
>Erika is the only person out of the three of you to know how to have a proper relationship, so yes

>>6363475
>Erika is the only person out of the three of you to know how to have a proper relationship, so yes
This can only be good.

>>6363490
>>6363506
>>6363523
>>6363689
>>6363697

Well... Haaah. This is just straight painful.

Gods know Kiikoinen isn't going to sweep you off your feet. He'd sooner run into his death than a relationship. Change his face, get a new name, change who he is before letting someone else warm him up.

And you? A few of the girls you knew growing up took relationships too far too fast, and ended up in a lot of trouble. Some disappeared and never came back. You got the message and avoided getting put in that kind of situation, went to work at a bakery and buried your head in it. But then you got the dreams, started wanting a family, and here you are.

The systems that be don't reward you for what you want, so the two of you have been avoiding it and now you both know nothing. Mama's the only one with a clue here, so...

Bringing the whole thing up is like talking with something stuck in your throat. Your body tells you it would be best to just shut up and swallow it, but you have to speak. "Y-yeah," you admit. "Though I think he's too cold to look at me this way."

Erika giggled. "Let me guess, the big man?" Hair falls in front of your face as you recoil from her accurate shot. "Aha, I figured! The other lad was too far sighted to have the eyes to see a lass like you. But Lalli? Oh, he was just melting."

"I think he was nervous to be around you," you shoot back, remembering how he stuttered near your mama when Kiikoinen first me her. "He's fine normally. The first thing you did was introduce yourself as someone with enough authority to have us walk into Tahtien Alla without a reservation for a casual dinner, so I think he was looking for ways to watch his tongue..."

"Oh, pshaw! I know his kind!" She flips a leg over another and throws her hand out in a casual gesture. "Just too insecure to keep himself stuttering around a dove's parents."

That sentence does not match the tall, tough man you know Kiikoinen to be. "I wouldn't have described him as insecure?"

"Not when it's over something he doesn't care to lose," Mama explains. "It's the risky things that make people like him squirm. The times he can't afford to fail. He can't change his mask and move on, you've seen what's underneath." Raising a glass to her lips for a sip, she comments "I've seen it happen on the expedition, actually."

... Her choice of vocabulary when describing Kiikoinen are disturbingly on point.

>>6364599
And, now that you're thinking about what had happened, maybe she's accurate. You should be forthcoming with her.

"You know, during the mission last week, he talked to me about how he views me. He doesn't think I'm cut out to be here. He doesn't want me to become the kind of person he is, and... he wanted me to leave the Stormwatch."

"Aha! And there it is!" Erika almost shouts with elation, uncaring to the thinness of the walls. "Ze man thinks he is out of his depth! You have to remind him where he is and what he could be. And they're both very close by~!"

She doesn't get it. "No, no, no, I think he meant, I should leave the Stormwatch, because staying would make me become a person that he doesn't like."

"And he is a person he doesn't like. But that is a lie! Lalli wants to be someone he approves of, but he is too caught up on something to admit it. You need to remind him that, well, you're not exactly like him, but you're not too far off, either. And that it's perfectly fine to like someone like you, who is someone like him. You just have to slap him and tell him that he's fine, and get over himself..." She stutters to correct herself; "Don't actually slap him. Grab his tie, or something. That works."

No. Erika would not understand what has to be done to earn the right to have a family. She was given her lot in life out of raw luck alone. You're also been born with something of a privilege, being the child of two who served the Old Oaks. Given the secrecy around that clandestine faction, you can't imagine the whole of the Stormwatch was invited because they all knew someone on the inside. You're here because of luck, and it's time she realize that.

"Ma, you won the lottery," you explain. "Other people have to do things to get what he has. You wouldn't understand what he had to-"

"I know what exactly he has done." Erika cuts you off.

You raise your voice. "Do you really?"

The expression draining from her face, your mother looks you dead straight in the eyes. "I know exactly what he's done to attain his Category 3 Citizenship status."

O-oh.

Silence fills the room.

Several seconds pass before you find the strength to ask. "Are you fine with that?"

"Your Papa did the same. It hurt him too." Erika says, suddenly unable to meet your gaze, shifting her eyes to the side.

Your entire body sinks. Your heart plummeted, your shoulders slumped, and your cheeks melted into a frown.

"And he was young," she goes on. "Twenty two. How old are you? Twenty? Twenty one?" Twenty one, you tell her. "Right at your age, I had found him at his lowest. And I helped him accept that he's more than what he has done. So I know what I'm telling you works for a man like him."

>>6364605
The reality of the task of achieving L3 had slipped your mind for a moment. Part of you wishes you had forgotten it. You can't imagine it being something so normalized. Something Kiikoinen would do, something your Papa would do, something you almost did. You hate yourself for that. The news you heard and the pervitin made you think you had no other time achieve that goal. But perhaps you were just overreacting.

Erika expertly paves over your inner turmoil with a mischievous grin. "So, to win him over, you should dress real nice. Too nice! Nice enough to put him on the spot, get him wondering, why he isn't dressed up like that? So, were you thinking of an upscale modern gown, or a classic German dress?"

That's cheating, changing the topic like that. Pick one.
>Modern
>Traditional

Pick as many as you like.
>If it's something she can talk about, how did mama meet the Old Oaks? For security's sake, you will call them "benefactors."
>She has to have something she can tell you about her expedition! She submitted her report, she knows what is confidential and what isn't!
>Invite her to the banquet, there will be lobster and steak and she can flex her authority to be with you, and-
>Does SHE know about the secret announcement? Katriina is her friend, right?
>What was that she said about Fahy, that he was "too far sighted"? What did she pick up that you didn't?
>Question her about the sword and the voice that you heard from it. As far as you are aware, the meth in Pervitin is not hallucinatory...
>Ask Erika if she can see Luonto, and anything else she might have noticed with you...
>Write-in

>>6364608
>Traditional
Modern feels like trying to fit in, and Lalli is too comfortable with that dynamic.

>Question her about the sword and the voice that you heard from it. As far as you are aware, the meth in Pervitin is not hallucinatory...
>Ask Erika if she can see Luonto, and anything else she might have noticed with you...
>Tell mama about the nanite robot nepo baby. It's not a story Katriina would get around to anytime soon, surely.
>Ask her about the dead swans. Someone who's been on the expedition should know more than anyone else, and if she wants you out of trouble she could tell you what NOT to do.
>Show her some of the loadouts you use. A bit of light exercise with a real expert.

>Does SHE know about the secret announcement? Katriina is her friend, right?

>>6364639
+1

>>6364608
>>Modern

I like the idea of modern.

>Does SHE know about the secret announcement? Katriina is her friend, right?
>What was that she said about Fahy, that he was "too far sighted"? What did she pick up that you didn't?
>Question her about the sword and the voice that you heard from it. As far as you are aware, the meth in Pervitin is not hallucinatory...

>>6364608
>Traditional


>Ask her about the dead swans. Someone who's been on the expedition should know more than anyone else, and if she wants you out of trouble she could tell you what NOT to do.
>Does SHE know about the secret announcement? Katriina is her friend, right?
>What was that she said about Fahy, that he was "too far sighted"? What did she pick up that you didn't?

Votes locked, writing

I just realized... Are we even allowed to be with Lalli? Ethnic miscegenation is verboten in the ecofascist future, right? Are Uralics and Germanics considered similar enough to be permitted to breed? Or are Cat-3 regime agents exempted from those rules?

>>6365348
I read this post and read
>Are Uralics and Germanics considered similar enough to be permitted to breed?
then immediately thought of this ancient classic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq5EnEa7Mg8

>>6365348
there is historical precedent of raids both ways, though who ever goes where would have to adapt to the culture somewhat
it's especially easy if it was us moving and staying here, as warbrides are a thing

>>6365513
Sure, but I'm curious how the one world government out of Rome views things. Based on Mama's reaction, positively, I guess.

>>6364608
>>Traditional
Dirndl time